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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26810524">warmth, in the black of night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/pseuds/Serie11'>Serie11</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous Slash, Canon Compliant, Cereal, Chronic Pain, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:55:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26810524</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/pseuds/Serie11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Noct is leaning up against the kitchen bench, a half full glass of water in front of him, looking at his phone. He’s digging his free hand into the small of his back, which gives Prompto his first clue as to what’s woken him up in the middle of the night.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Prompto Argentum &amp; Noctis Lucis Caelum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Writing Rainbow Black</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>warmth, in the black of night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/gifts">ThatScottishShipper</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prompto mutters into his pillow as someone close by moves. It’s dark and he’s sleepy, and it’s probably the neighbours just making a bunch of sound. It’s not until he hears his bedroom door open that he realises that the sound was far too clear to have come through the walls.</p><p>He cracks open an eye just in time to see Noct disappear out into the hallway. Prompto sits up and checks his phone. His background image is a chocobo with a speech bubble behind where the time sits, so it looks like the cute pic is telling him the time every time he checks. As adorable as he normally finds it, the chocobo is unforgiving as it tells him that it is currently 3:17am.</p><p>Light flickers on from the front of the house, and Prompto blinks blearily. Noct obviously tried to get up without disturbing him, but since they’re staying over at his place today, it’s his job as the host to like, deal with any problems, right?</p><p>It still takes him another few minutes to collect himself enough to roll out of bed and head down the hallway. Noct is leaning up against the kitchen bench, a half full glass of water in front of him, looking at his phone. He’s digging his free hand into the small of his back, which gives Prompto his first clue as to what’s woken him up in the middle of the night.</p><p>“Hey dude,” Prompto says.</p><p>Noct looks up. “Was trying not to wake you,” he says grumpily.</p><p>“It’s cool,” Prompto says. “What’cha up to?”</p><p>Noct shrugs one shoulder half-heartedly, another tell, and clicks his phone off, letting it dangle in his hand.</p><p>“Kinda hungry,” he deflects. “Though I don’t normally do stuff in your kitchen, so I don’t really know where anything is.”</p><p>“All good,” Prompto tells him. “I promise I know my way around the place. Anything crazy happening online?”</p><p>“Nope,” Noct says. “Nothing at all interesting.”</p><p>Noct has a far higher tolerance for things that are interesting, so Prompto takes it with a grain of salt. Still, it’s obvious that nothing is enough to distract him, so Prompto will just have to fill that role.</p><p>"Insomnia sleeps," he says grandly. "A change for the better or worse?”</p><p>“Ha ha,” Noct grumbles. “When are you auditioning for a stand up comedy gig?”</p><p>“Oh, I’m not good enough for my own show?”</p><p>“You wish.”</p><p>Prompto opens the fridge, but there really isn’t much food in here, let alone something to eat in the middle of the night. Noct hisses and Prompto spins, in time to see him slump over slightly.</p><p>“Hey,” Prompto says, alarmed, but Noct waves him off.</p><p>“I’m fine,” he says, sharp enough that Prompto resists the urge to back away. Noct sighs. “Sorry.”</p><p>“No worries,” Prompto says, taking him in. He’s leaning heavily against the bench, and has put his phone down in order to stand in a way that Prompto knows stretches out his back. Prompto doesn’t blame him at all for his prickliness – if it was him in Noct’s position, he really wouldn’t be any better.</p><p>“It’s just,” Noct says, waving his hand again.</p><p>“Your back bothering you?” Prompto asks, as gently as he can manage. Noct’s mouth tilts down into a frown as he stares at the bench instead of Prompto.</p><p>“Yeah,” Noct says finally, and Prompto’s heart turns staticky.</p><p>“Do you want me to call anyone? Or drive you somewhere, or–”</p><p>“No.” Noct cuts him off. “No, don’t call anyone. I already took some painkillers. Just have to wait it out.”</p><p>“Ah. Okay,” Prompto says. He nervously does another circuit around his kitchen, which really isn’t ready for Noct to have a 3am snack. “There’s leftover pizza; though that’s a bit heavy…”</p><p>“Just some cereal is fine,” Noct says. “I saw that you had some choc crunch.”</p><p>“Ha, yeah. Alright.”</p><p>Prompto starts clattering around to fix it up, and watches out of the corner of his eye as Noct slowly makes his way from leaning against the kitchen bench to Prompto’s dining table. With his parents so rarely here, it gets more use out of being where Prompto keeps all his schoolwork than somewhere to eat food, but if Noct wants to sit there rather than the couch that’s fine with Prompto.</p><p>“Hey, Prompto?” Noct calls.</p><p>“Yeah buddy?”</p><p>“Do you have a hot water bottle?” He clears his throat softly. “That helps.”</p><p>Prompto pauses to think. He used one last winter, but that was over half a year ago now, so he’s not sure where it would have gone since then. Maybe in the linen closet? He’ll check there.</p><p>He puts the jug on to boil. “Gotcha. I’m pretty sure I have one – let me go look.”</p><p>The hot water bottle is in the linen closet, thankfully. Prompto gets it out and fills it up, and gives it to Noct before putting their bowls of cereal down and shoving a towering pile of math work over to the other side of the table. Something falls to the ground and Prompto winces, over the top and dramatic. Noct rolls his eyes, and Prompto puts a hand to his heart.</p><p>“So…” Prompto says between mouthfuls, trying to think of something to distract Noct with. “You ready for the showcase next week?”</p><p>Noct groans. “Gladio has been pushing me harder than ever in training,” he mutters. “And Ignis has been quizzing me until I think I have names falling out of my ears. I still can’t believe so many people are coming.”</p><p>“Gotta make a good showing in front of everyone,” Prompto says. “Is it really all going to be televised?”</p><p>“Don’t remind me,” Noct says. “Video games are good and all, but I sometimes wish I was born a few hundred years ago. Yeah, if you messed up it was bad, but at least no one got it on camera.”</p><p>“I believe you’ll get through it,” Prompto tells him. “You’re pretty cool sometimes.”</p><p>“Only sometimes?” Noct asks, lifting an eyebrow.</p><p>“Someone’s gotta tell you the truth,” Prompto says seriously. “And it’s that no one who snores as cutely as you do can be one hundred percent cool.”</p><p>“Hey!” Noct says, but he laughs so Prompto counts that as a win. “You’re not allowed to use how I snore against me, that’s not fair.”</p><p>“Well, that won’t stop me,” Prompto says.</p><p>“What about you?” Noct asks, attempting to hide his grin behind another spoonful of cereal. “That speech next week is pretty high stakes, if I say so myself.”</p><p>“Ugh,” Prompto whines. “It’s in front of the whole school! And I don’t get to take any notes up with me, and like, everyone I know will be there.”</p><p>“It’ll be a good story to tell,” Noct says. “If you mess it up, I get to tease you, and if you don’t, then you get to brag about it. Win-win.”</p><p>“That is <em>not </em>the definition of win-win,” Prompto protests.</p><p>“It is for me,” Noct says.</p><p>“Dude.”</p><p>Prompto swallows the last of his cereal. Noct yawns for the first time since they got up, which Prompto is thinking is some sort of record considering the hour. There’s a reason that Noct is ‘Prince of Sleep’ in his phone.</p><p>“You wanna try and get back to sleep?” Prompto asks him. Noct hesitates a second before nodding, and Prompto collects their bowls to dump in the sink. Noct has made it halfway back to Prompto’s room, one hand braced against the wall for support. Prompto falls into step beside him, resisting the urge to reach out and help him. Noct hates that; if he wants Prompto’s help, he’ll ask for it.</p><p>Prompto closes his bedroom door after them, and lets Noct flop onto his bed. He fiddles with his phone for a few seconds to give him time to get comfy.</p><p>“I can crash on the couch if you want some extra room,” Prompto offers belatedly.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Noct sighs into the dark. “Come over here.”</p><p>Prompto slides under the covers next to him. Noct grabs at the edge of his shirt, and Prompto takes that as the invitation that it is. He shuffles over so that Noct can press his face against Prompto’s shoulder. Prompto shifts and brushes up against the hot water bottle, which is now laying over Noct’s knee.</p><p>Noct lets out a heavy sigh, and Prompto hears something click as he stretches. “Go to sleep,” he mumbles, and Prompto can’t help but smile.</p><p>“I’m ready to go back to sleep, Mr Wants To Eat Cereal At 3am.”</p><p>“Ugh, you’re not going to let that one go, are you?”</p><p>“It’s my job as your best friend to collect blackmail material on you.”</p><p>“Don’t let Ignis hear that.”</p><p>“Noted.”</p><p>Noct wraps his arms around Prompto’s, which is incredibly endearing. Sometimes he still can’t believe it – that he gets to see this side of the Crown Prince, and no one else does.</p><p>“Do we have to get up early tomorrow?” Noct asks, sounding much more like himself.</p><p>“If you want to get coffee before school.”</p><p>Noct makes a grumbling sound.</p><p>“Finals are just around the corner,” Prompto says. “It’ll all be over soon. Wild, huh?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Noct sighs. “Wild.”</p><p>Prompto brings his hand up to gently run it through Noct’s hair. Noct lets out a breath and curls against Prompto’s side. His nose is cold where it’s pressed against his skin, and Prompto closes his eyes and settles himself. Every day they spend together is something to cherish, and not something that Prompto takes lightly. That Noct trusts him enough with this – well, it means more than Prompto knows how to say.</p><p>Noct lets out a quiet hum, and Prompto lets the contentment of the moment curl up in his chest. For now, this is enough, and more than enough, for him.</p>
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